The digestive tract is a major component of the gastrointestinal system. Essentially, it is a tube about five meters in length of variable cross-sectional areas running from mouth to anus that includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, which includes the colon, also known as the bowel. In the digestive tract, food is propelled by muscular contractions through its different regions. These contractions are referred to as peristalsis. Eventually, unabsorbed food residues are moved to the end of the tract and are eliminated from the body in the form of solids, semi-solids or liquids.
As used herein the term “digestive tract” includes, but is not limited to, the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and pancreas. The digestive track can suffer from various disorders including diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diabetes, heartburn, Gurd's disease as well as cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, stomach, small and large intestine and colorectal.
It is believed that the main cause of some of the diseases, such as diverticulitis, of the digestive tract is due to a low-fiber diet, which is a direct result of the processed foods that are a major part of the American diet. Many processed foods contain refined, low-fiber flour. Unlike whole-wheat flour, refined flour has no wheat bran. Diverticulitis and diverticulosis disease is common in developed or industrialized countries where low-fiber diets are common and rare in countries of Asia and Africa, where high-fiber diets are common. It has also been suggested that diets low in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol and high in whole grain cereals have a protective effect against certain cancers. Thus, modifying one's diet can have beneficial effects on the digestive tract, especially by incorporating into the diet specific additives. Based on a 2000 calorie diet, the US Food and Drug Administration defines a product as “a good source of fiber” if it provides 10 percent of the Daily Value (DV)—2.5 grams of fiber per serving. A product is “high in”, “rich in” or an “excellent source of fiber” if it provides 20 percent of the DV—5 grams of fiber per serving. Further, the US Department of Agriculture recommends 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day from fruits, vegetables or fiber-containing grain products. Specifically the USDA guidelines recommend 6 to 11 servings per day of cereal and grain foods. Typically cereal brans, including rice, wheat, barley, rye, oat, sorghum and millet have crude fiber ranging from approximately 7 to 20 percent at 14% moisture.
While various high-fiber products are commercially available for promoting digestive health, there is still a need in the art for products that are even more beneficial for the digestive tract.